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The calendar has turned to 2013 and the news around the motorsports world is picking up in regards to plans for the 2013 season. Here is a look at some of the stories breaking in the last few days.

Phoenix Racing: According to Steve Barkdoll, the general manager of Phoenix Racing, The No. 51 Chevrolet will run a full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. Regan Smith has already been announced as the driver for the Daytona 500 and he will pilot the car at Preseason Thunder later this week. Barkdoll said smith will race in anywhere from seven to 10 races for the team. He also said that AJ Allmendinger will share the driving duties with Smith and that his first race will be at Phoenix in race two of the season. There is a chance that if sponsorship cannot be found to help support the team's effort they will not run the full schedule but the plan going in is to compete in the full season.

The team will also field a Nationwide Series entry for the restrictor-plate races and a few more select races. It is expected that Kurt Busch will be the driver for these races. Sponsorship for the Nationwide car and Sprint Cup car at Daytona to open the season is expected to be announced soon. The team will continue to use Hendrick Motorsports engines.

KH Motorsports: A new team will make its NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at the DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona when KH Motorsports hits the track. KH Motorsports is owned and operated by 20-year old Dexter Stacey. While no sponsorship, manufacturer or car number have been announced yet the team is expected to run the full Nationwide Series schedule. Stacey competed in his first Nationwide Series race with R3 Motorsports at Watkins Glen last year and then also raced in six races with Go Green Racing in the No. 39 Ford. His best finish was 24th at Chicagoland Speedway in September. David Ingram has been named the team crew chief.

Grant Galloway: SS GreenLight Racing expects to have 18-year old Grant Galloway make his NASCAR debut with the team at the Martinsville Camping World Truck Series race in April. Galloway has been racing midgets as well as being hired as the Richard Petty Driving Experience driver in 2010. That led him to being the test driver for Dodge's SRT program. Galloway is excited for his opportunity to enter the NASCAR ranks.

"I have had a few really good tests in a truck, and we are working hard to get the necessary sponsorship to be able to put everything together," Galloway said. "I am (NASCAR) approved for Martinsville, and if all goes as planned, we will make our debut there in April.”

SS GreenLight Racing which is owned by Bobby Dotter fields the No. 07 and 08 trucks. No word on which truck Galloway will make his debut in.

Scott Speed: Leavine Family Racing will compete in a part-time schedule in the Sprint Cup Series with Scott Speed at the wheel of the No. 95 car. Speed posted the team's 2013 schedule to Facebook and it includes 24 events. Twenty -two points paying races and then the Duel Qualifying event for the Daytona 500 and the Sprint All-Star Shootout. LFR and Speed are one of the 35 teams on the Daytona Preason Thunder entry list for this Thursday through Saturday. Last season LFR attempted to qualify for 16 Cup Series races and made 15 of them.

German Grand Prix: Bernie Ecclestone has said that he expects the 2013 German GP for the Formula One Series to be held at Nurburgring like previously planned. There was speculation that the race may be held at Hockenheim instead because of financial problems that Nurbugring is facing. The two tracks host every-other-year and Ecclestone thinks it will stay that way. Ecclestone also said he expects the F1 schedule to stay at 19 races which means the Turkish Grand Prix will not happen in 2013.